


The Babysitters Club

by adapttothis



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Babysitting, Infertility, Kissing, Other, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:09:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adapttothis/pseuds/adapttothis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and his wife are going out for the night, for some well-deserved alone time. However, they are going to leave their kids at home, and so they need a babysitter. Steve volunteers, but it’s not because he likes to babysit. Unfortunately, Steve’s never been good with kids, and so he enlists you to help him. Though, what started as babysitting, leads to much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Babysitters Club

**Author's Note:**

> hey! So, here's my next reader insert. If anything I said about being infertile is wrong or offensive, please tell me :) Enjoy! [Read it on my Tumblr](http://www.adaptttothis.tumblr.com/post/125002321657/the-babysitters-club)

“You’re doing _what_?” Tony exclaimed, as surprised as he was amused. Steve let out an irritated sigh, brushing a hand down his face. How many times was he going to have to explain himself to Tony?

“I’m babysitting for Clint, it’s not that hard, Tony,” he replied with an annoyed and somewhat embarrassed frown. Tony laughed, leaning back in his armchair.

“But you hate kids!” He threw a hand in the air, confused, but his smirk remained on his face. 

“I don’t hate kids! I’m just not very good with them,” Steve admitted, shrugging.

“Exactly! So why the hell are you doing this?” 

“Clint wants a night out, and Laura hasn’t visited New York for a while,” Steve explained. “They need someone to look after their kids, so I volunteered.”

“I still don’t get it,” Tony narrowed his eyes at his fellow team member. “You would never agree to something like this. So why are you doing it?” He continued to pester him, knowing that the super soldier would give in eventually.

“It doesn’t matter, Stark,” Steve huffed, getting up and making his way to the kitchen, trying to get away from Tony. The billionaire followed him, though, and his escape plan failed.

“I’m not gonna stop annoying you until you tell me,” Tony told him, singing his words. Steve tried to ignore him, but Tony was a master in persuasion. “Steeeeve,” he whined, drawing out the syllable. “Tell me! C’mon, I thought we were friends!” Tony threw himself over the kitchen island, where Steve was trying to make a sandwich. He sighed exasperatedly, attempting to shove Tony away. When that failed, he groaned and put his head in his hands. He mumbled something that Tony couldn’t understand.

“Sorry? What was that?” 

Steve mumbled again, this time a bit more clear. Tony managed to make out a few words, but still couldn’t understand him.

“One more time, for the people in the back?” 

Steve through his hands away from his face, nearly hitting Tony, who had picked himself up and was now leisurely leaning on the counter.

“I’m babysitting Clint’s kids to impress (Y/N)! Okay?” He almost shouted, and Tony’s eyes widened considerably. _Wow_ , he thought to himself. _I really should have seen that one coming_.

“Of course,” Tony nodded understandably. “You’re doing it for (Y/N).” Tony had been speculating that Steve had developed a little crush on the newest member of the team, if his clumsy speech and the love-heart eyes he had been making were any indication.

“Tony, seriously. You can’t say anything, please,” Steve begged him, and Tony’s eyes lit up and he grinned mischievously. Boy, did he love it when he had dirt on people.

“Of course not, buddy. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t keep your secrets?”

* * *

“Okay, so we’ll be back around midnight. There are some DVDs on the coffee table if they want to watch anything, and a list of food they can eat,” Laura explained, as if she hadn’t already done so several times. “Cooper can’t eat peanuts, so make sure not to feed him any of those. Just in case, his EpiPen is in the diaper bag.” Laura fussed.

“Honey, I think he gets it,” Clint wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “Right, Cap?” Steve nodded, trying to digest the information. “He’s a grown man, I’m sure he can handle a few kids. C’mon, the taxi is here.” He pulled Laura towards the door.

“Oh, and don’t feed them any sugar past seven!” She called out before she disappeared from view. Clint smiled affectionately after her, before turning back to Steve.

“Thanks, again. You’re a life saver,” he grinned at Steve and waved. “See you later. Good luck!” 

Steve said goodbye, and then Clint left, following his wife. Steve took a deep breath. He felt a tug on his shirt, and turned to see Lila standing behind him, an innocent expression on her face.

“Hey, mister. Nathan spilled his baby food everywhere,” she told him before running off to play. Steve sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. What on earth had he gotten himself into?

* * *

It had been three hours, and Steve had _no idea_ what he was doing. 

He had been rushing around for the whole afternoon, trying to pay attention to each of the kids. Unfortunately, every time he would look away, one of them would mess something up. He had cleaned up numerous messes, like building blocks, spilt food, and – _shudder_ – Nathaniel’s diaper. 

Steve had also underestimated how easy it was for the kids to get into the kitchen, and they knew exactly where the sugary foods were. Now, they were bouncing off the walls, screaming and running endlessly. Now, he was holding a crying Nathan in his arms, trying to silence him, but everything he tried failed. It was then that Steve realized that he couldn’t continue to do this alone.

Juggling Nathaniel and a bottle of milk on one side, he pulled out his phone to call someone to help him. None of his teammates seemed to be in the tower. He knew that since it was a Friday night, a lot of them would be out doing errands, partying, or training. He pondered over whom to call, but eventually settled on Natasha. He reasoned that Wanda was as inexperienced as he was, Bruce was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable with children, and Tony was, well, Tony. He didn’t want to call you, because he was doing this to impress you, and he didn’t want to seem weak or helpless. So, Natasha seemed like the only option he had left.

His phone rang several times, but no one answered. He rang twice more, but Natasha never picked up. Even if she had, she probably wouldn’t have heard him over Nathaniel’s wailing. She must be training, or maybe she had gone out somewhere.

Steve sighed deeply, scrolling through his list of contacts until he came to your name. His finger hovered over the call button for a moment, before he braced himself, muttering about how embarrassing this was going to be. He pressed the button, and the phone rang three times, before you picked up.

“Hi,” you answered. Steve flushed slightly at the sound of your voice.

“Hey, (Y/N). It’s Steve,” he responded, earning a small chuckle.

“I know it’s you, Steve. We have caller ID now, remember?” 

“Oh, right,” he paused, and an awkward silence followed. 

“Did you need something?” You asked hesitantly.

“Oh, uh, yes. Yeah, I did.” Nathaniel had finally stopped crying, and was now contentedly sitting on Steve’s hip. “Um, so, Clint asked me to babysit his kids for the night.”

You laughed loudly. “Clint asked _you_ to look after his kids?” Steve blushed darkly.

“Well, no. I, uh, volunteered,” he replied, trying to keep control of himself.

“You _volunteered_? Do you have a death wish? We all know how crazy Clint’s kids can be,” you had stopped chuckling, and were now simply surprised. 

“That’s actually what I’m calling about,” Steve tried to place Nathaniel down in his cot, but the infant started wailing again and tangled his hands in Steve’s hair and pulling, hard. “Ow!”

“Is that Nathan?” You asked, and Steve could practically see you holding the phone away from your ear. 

“Yes. Yes, it is. He won’t stop crying, (Y/N), and Cooper and Lila ate a bunch of cookies, and they aren’t slowing down, and–“

“Steve, Steve. Calm down, it’ll be all right. It’s just a couple of kids, yeah?” You tried to make him relax, and, thankfully, your soft tone did soothe him a little. It probably helped that Steve was harbouring a massive crush on you, and he would most likely do whatever you told him to do. As Tony would say, he was whipped. “I’m just out at the grocery store, so I’ll be ten minutes or so. Hang in there, okay?”

Steve nodded, but realized that you couldn’t see him. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” He breathed out. 

“Good luck,” you laughed, and hung up. He was gonna need it.

* * *

You shut the door behind you, and placed your grocery bags on the floor. “Steve?” You called out, but you were met with only silence. Suddenly, there was the sound of someone falling to the ground, and a muffled cry.

You followed the sound, and were led to the living room. Steve was on the floor, with Cooper sitting on his stomach and Lila nowhere to be seen. Steve was trying to shove Cooper off, but only softly, as if he was afraid that if he pushed too hard, the kid would crack. You could hear Nathaniel in his room, crying loudly. Lila come running into the room with a pair of scissors in her hand, but she froze when she noticed you.

“Bloody hell, Steve,” you shook your head, astonished that a man with superhuman strength was helpless against a baby and two little kids. Lila screamed and ran away, and Cooper leaped up and ran in the other direction. You walked over and helped Steve up, grinning. 

“What’s wrong, Rogers? Scared of a few kids?” You chuckled. He had a look of genuine fear on his face, mixed with shock and confusion.

“They’re not kids, (Y/N), they’re monsters, I swear,” he ran a hand through his messy hair, and you could see how tired he was. 

“Don’t be such a drama queen,” you raised an eyebrow at him, and he blushed. “Now, let’s get these kids under control.” You walked over to the nearest exit, and turned to Steve before you left. “I’ll go catch Lila and Cooper, and you go stop Nathan crying, okay?” Without waiting for a response, you turned to chase after Lila.

* * *

It took a while, but eventually you found both kids. Lila had been under the table in the kitchen, cutting up lettuce with her scissors, but you pulled her out and snatched the scissors from her, glaring at her. She only stared at you and giggled, but you could see that she was getting sleepy, so you took her to the bathroom and told her to brush her teeth. Cooper, however, had found his way back into the living room, and was hiding under a blanket on one of the couches.

You walked in, immediately spotting the young boy because of the small lump on the lounge. You smiled widely, walking to the middle of the room.

“Hmm, I wonder where Cooper is…” You crept over to the couch, and he started to giggle. “What’s that noise? Could it be Cooper?” You yanked back the blanket and started to tickle him. He laughed louder, screeching at you to stop. “I’m the Tickle Monster! I’ll never stop!” He kept laughing when you swept him into your arms and saw that he was also starting to droop off. To his credit, though, he was fighting the urge to sleep quite valiantly. “Come on, Coop, go do your teeth.” You set him down, and he ran to brush his teeth.

“That was amazing.” You whirled around, and saw that Steve was leaning against one of the doorways. Your cheeks darkened at the compliment, and you looked away from him. “You’ve got a real way with kids.”

“Thanks,” you replied. It was then that Nathaniel started crying again, and Steve gave an audible sigh. “C’mon, super soldier. Let’s go put this baby to bed, once and for all,” you laughed, grabbing his hand and dragging him to Clint and Laura’s bedroom, where Nathan’s cot was. From behind you, Steve stared at your joined hands and blushed deeply, nearly falling over his own feet.

You walked over to the cot, Steve following. You reached down and grabbed the baby, cradling him in your arms and cooing. Nathan stopped crying almost as soon as he saw you, seemingly enthralled by your presence. Steve watched you from a step behind you, a small smile on his face.

“Hey, there, buddy. How bought you go to sleep, huh?” You rocked him in your arms, your voice soft and soothing. Nathaniel’s eyes started to close, and soon his breathing evened out and you were able to place him back down softly. You turned back around to face Steve, bringing a finger to your lips, silently telling him to stay quiet. You and Steve walked out, shutting the door behind you, before you both collapsed next to each other on a couch in the living room.

“Well, that was tiring.” You were the first one to break the silence.

“Understatement of the year,” Steve sighed, closing his eyes and slumping. “You seemed to enjoy it, though.” You gave him a small smile.

“Yeah. They can be a handful, but I love kids,” you replied, turning your head to him. 

“You’re very natural around them. Are you ever going to have any of your own?” Steve opened his eyes and looked at you with genuine interest. Your smile faltered, and you looked down at your hands.

“I would love to,” you started. “But, um, I’m infertile. I can’t.” Steve’s eyes widened, and when you looked at him again, yours were glassy.

“Oh my God, (Y/N), I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” he apologized, sitting up straighter.

“No, no, it’s fine. There’s no way you could have known, I’ve hardly told anyone about it. I’ve known for a while, though, and I’ve accepted it; not that it doesn’t still hurt.” You reached up to wipe a stray tear from your cheek, trying to stay composed. “That’s why I like spending time with kids as much as possible,” you smiled again, though it was a sad one. You both lapsed into a silence, you staring at ahead at the wall, and Steve staring at you, mixed emotions on his face. Your vulnerability awoke an urge to protect and comfort you with all of his might, and it made him realize how much he liked you. Loved you, even.

“Do you wanna know why I said I would look after these kids?” Steve asked, intent on cheering you up. And, maybe, he could tell you how he felt about you while doing so. You looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, actually. I’ve been wondering about that,” you replied, smirking a little. 

“Well, I don’t spend much time with kids, and I’m not really good with them, as you’ve seen tonight.” You snorted in agreement. “But, uh, I see how you are with them, how you smile so much around them, and how your eyes sparkle, and I thought that maybe if I were able to be comfortable around them, that you would, um, notice me. Like me, I mean. Because I, uh, like you,” he stuttered, looking away in embarrassment.

“You mean… You did this for me?” Your eyes widened, and you lifted a hand to Steve’s face to make him turn towards you. He nodded sheepishly, but when you stayed frozen and didn’t say anything else, he assumed the worst.

“It’s, um, alright if you don’t feel the same. You, uh, probably think I’m taking advantage of your, um, emotional state, but I just had to tell you, because I wanted you to know that I think you’re so amazing, and–“

You weaved a hand through his blonde hair, and pulled him down towards you. You kissed softly, and he placed his hands on the side of your face gingerly. When you pulled away, you both stayed silent and stared at each other. 

“Um, I like you too, Steve. I really do,” you smiled. “And I think you’re amazing, too.” He sighed in relief, and rested his head against your forehead. You stayed like this for a while, before you yawned, realizing how tired you were.

He smiled and pulled you against his chest, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. Your eyes fluttered shut, and you wrapped your arms around his waist. You both fell back, so that you were lying on top of him. After several minutes, you heard his breathing slow, and you knew that he was asleep. You followed soon after, content and comfortable to sleep right there on the couch, despite how sore you knew you would be in the morning.

In fact, you and Steve were so deeply asleep, that you didn’t even feel Lila and Cooper climb onto your couch, snuggling into your sides and falling asleep with you.

* * *

Clint and Laura arrived home just past midnight, stumbling through the door and giggling like teenagers. They walked into the living room ungracefully, but immediately sobered up when they saw the pile of bodies on the couch. They smiled, and Laura leaned into her husband as he took several photos of the group. He texted the images to Tony, who replied with a very happy emoticon and a promise to forward them to the rest of the team.

“It’s about time they got together,” Laura whispered to Clint as they quietly left. Clint nodded with a happy grin, leading his wife to their bedroom, where they collapsed into bed and fell asleep as well.


End file.
